BusinessGrenada.com BusinessGrenada2019-2020 Issue 8 | Page 104

In Pursuit of Excellence In Pursuit of Excellence Y ou might be forgiven for thinking that all success stories of people rebuilding their lives after war and devastation are to be found exclusively in so called developed countries. Right here in Grenada one man and his business are a testament to that old saying ’you never know where life will take you.’ In this case, German born West African raised Lutz Amechi ended up in Grenada building and developing from the embryonic stage, his very own internationally accredited and certified private medical hospital. “I was supposed to go back to Liberia and take over my Dad's hospital, but the civil war of 14 years shelved that plan. The ground was fertile and ripe, and the need was here, so I started this with my parents blessing and backing,” says Amechi who opened St Augustine’s ICES RV We need to continuously raise the bar and raise the standard of health care in Grenada both for our own evolution and for the people of Grenada who deserve the best treatment and facilities Medical Services (SAMS) in July 1998. “When we first started back then, all they had here was a few GP’s operating small clinics that opened on demand. There was no real alternative to the General hospitals on island, nothing that opened 24 hrs a day with full-time nurses, doctors in house, labs, x-rays, ultrasounds inpatient / out patient facilities all under one roof. So there was a need and a demand for our services. Dr. Amechi PHOTOS BY STEVE BRETT 104 104 “ www.businessgrenada.com www.businessgrenada.com “I don’t want to hang on to this through my old age and have it as a noose around my neck that eventually kills me. None of my kids are interested in this business so my thoughts are that if I do not sell it when the time and the money is right then I will start stepping Initially our thinking and business plan model was that we would set up a facility that surgeons and www.businessgrenada.com “ N I T E S ’ S U M G E U D A I C T A S specialists could use for their own private work on their own patients /clients. But we received opposition to this as many of the surgeons for instance thought we would steal their clients. But I have no interest or ability to steal a client from a surgeon when I am not a surgeon so that was a difficult challenge. But over the 20 years, time has afforded us the trust of both patients and fellow medical professionals who now both see the value of the service we offer. The practice of medicine is the same the world over but what sets us apart is how we treat our patients, and the level of genuine care we are able to offer. back from my own intense involvement and let others run it. “I now have 3 full-time doctors working here for me so they can help share the workload as I approach retirement. I am now looking to set up a more independent management structure within the facility so that the hospital can function efficiently and effectively without me personally having to be so involved in the whole process. Amechi is still of the belief that SAMS needs to grow, and has a lot of scope and potential to do so. “We need to continuously raise the bar and raise the standard of health care in Grenada both for our own evolution and for the people of Grenada who deserve the best treatment and facilities. “We are also seeing huge growth spurts in the economy especially as it pertains to Tourism. Sandals, Silversands and other high end hotels are finding Grenada to be a very attractive investment opportunity. And with 105